The firm has stipulated that workers must be employed voluntarily, and all must be free to “leave work at any time upon reasonable notice without negative repercussions, and they must have access to reliable and reprisal-free grievance mechanisms”.

Foxconn came under fire for reportedly bringing in hundreds of students from nearby universities to help build iPhone 5 units, and companies are thought to produce ‘tea money’ for administrators that sanction such moves. This kind of mass recruitment is now outlawed by HP’s new regulations which state that a student’s work “must complement the primary area of study”. That means that only those who study manufacturing, electronics or other related subjects will be eligible for work.

The company will also cap the ratio of students and temporary workers to a maximum of 20 percent of the workforce, although it told the NYT that it has plans to reduce that to 10 percent in the long term.

Apple-partner Foxconn is regularly criticized for its treatment of workers in China. The Taiwanese-headquartered firm employs more than 1 million staff there and it says that it is actively working to eradicate child labor from its factories. That comes after an admission last year that it had breached its own policy by employing workers as young as 14-years-old at non-Apple manufacturing plants.

Apple is not alone in facing issues in China. A recent report from Samsung — which runs its own manufacturing operations in the country — found examples of inadequate working conditions, but no evidence of child labor at its factories. It remains to be seen if others will follow HP’s lead and tighten their regulations accordingly.